“Ordinarily, I don’t talk about my private life in a public forum, but I feel compelled to make this disclosure at this time, in part because of events I’m covering.”

Munger said he was talking about the issue of gay marriage and, “as it relates to my beat, benefits for same-sex couples who work for the Department of Energy and its contractors.”

The News Sentinel reporter covers DOE’s Oak Ridge facilities and many related topics, such as nuclear weapons, nuclear waste and other things nuclear, environmental cleanup and science of all sorts in his blog — and has for some time.

In his column titled “In the interest of full disclosure,” Munger predicts “no doubt there will be those who suggest there’s some hidden agenda as these issues get my attention.” However, he said he’s covering these issues because they are issues of growing national interest and importance “and I’m covering the news.”

He adds, “I’m not an advocate. I’m an old-school journalist who believes in reporting the news fairly. … I hope my body of work in covering the Department of Energy over the past 30-plus years speaks to that.”